Help! Blue Tang decided to quit eating.

[WRB]

Update 6/24;
It's been 14 days since my Blue Tang quit eating. His color and breathing still look good and his belly doesn't appear pinched. The swimming is still a little off with him kinda dragging his back half but not everytime he makes an appearence. He'll make a couple laps and then park himself in one of his favorite spots, one at each end of the tank. He's social without issue and is out an about when any food is introduced into the tank. I was getting ready to force feed him but my wife says she saw him eat mysis shrimp 3 times in one feeding (very few if any) But did see him inhale a piece of Nori that had been torn from the from the feeder yesterday but didn't care today when it floated past him.
I don't want to force him to eat but how long do I wait before he's too gone to even attempt a last ditch effort.
Thanks

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Update 6/24;
It's been 14 days since my Blue Tang quit eating. His color and breathing still look good and his belly doesn't appear pinched. The swimming is still a little off with him kinda dragging his back half but not everytime he makes an appearence. He'll make a couple laps and then park himself in one of his favorite spots, one at each end of the tank. He's social without issue and is out an about when any food is introduced into the tank. I was getting ready to force feed him but my wife says she saw him eat mysis shrimp 3 times in one feeding (very few if any) But did see him inhale a piece of Nori that had been torn from the from the feeder yesterday but didn't care today when it floated past him.
I don't want to force him to eat but how long do I wait before he's too gone to even attempt a last ditch effort.
Thanks

Force feeding is less about calories and more about jump starting a non-feeding fish’s digestive system. If this fish eaten *some* in the last few days, that would have served the same benefit. Force feeding is something learned after lots of practice, so I wouldn’t risk it yet.
Jay

 

[WRB]

6/26- My Blue Tang is definatly eating. Frozen brine, blood worms and freezed dried mysis.
He's in the mix with all his tank mates for chow time and still social . Behaviour is still odd, stays out for short times and then parks himself .Returns to the group, swims end to end and using a wide swath of the water column.
Is it possible he's fighting something internal? Now what, hurry up and wait?
Hopefully he'll continue to improve.